Hmm, it shouldn't be the case that the combo adds up at all without you destroying an enemy. In fact, I'm pretty certain that it doesn't. Which boss are you referring to? When you reach the end of chapter boss (with sword and shield), the combo meter disappears, in fact.

I was referring to the paired ships that appear shortly before The Pursuer at the end. So it's the turrets that are messing me up! I didn't realize those counted as separate enemies.

I also need to learn when it's safe to use the missiles. Too often I just panic and use them when there are a lot of enemies of both colors on screen, which usually costs me the combo.

This game is really challenging to get into, there's a lot for me to learn, but I can definitely see the appeal.

I'm also following your and Michiel's example and focusing exclusively on the first chapter for now.

When you reach the section with the large black and white ships which rotate around the screen while the double column of smaller ships moves down, even there you have multiple sets of three. Each large ship has eight turrets. Destroy them first, then the ship itself and there's your chain. Repeat for each of the other ships. Completely ignore the double column for the moment, that's the hardest part of the level (and the bit I need for S class!).

Actually, it's only the first pair of ships that have four turrets on each side, meaning 9 units per ship (three combo chains). But the second pair have six turrets on each side, which totals to 13 units per ship, and that's what keeps messing me up!

I knew there was something fishy about that section. See for yourself (skip to 1:43):

Funnily enough, I only realised that myself this evening. I've taken to popping two from the middle column to complete the chain but it's risky and inconsistent, too easy to shoot past them and hit another colour. I basically need to start working on those little columns now to take it to the next level. I'm on 2.66m now, you're catching up fast! I read that 3m is S Class.

Hmm. I feel a breakthrough is imminent. I woke up today, and first go hit my high score, 2.73m and 81 chain. I also managed to do the dance up the columns and then quickly missile the rest before the large ships had hit boxes. Even with that, though, and chaining from the start right up to the boss fight (The Pursuer! Haha), I'm still likely nine chains short.

It's all about that second column, the one which moves in and out in pairs. By ignoring them, I will never trigger the bonus waves. I even wonder whether they are more important than the larger ships. I suspect I'll need it all. Each improvement now is so marginal. That section I've largely ignored since I first started playing this properly because it always seemed beyond my skill and comprehension but I'm going to have to get stuck in now if I'm to hit S class. At that point, I'll finally be happy to move onto chapter two.

No, I got two chains after the spinning ring, then wiped out the black ship plus turrets. One more quick chain of the leftovers as the white ship moved over, blasted that and then shot the bottom black pair as I moved across, shot most of the turrets of the next black ship, quickly finished it off as soon as it was past the column, picked out a white pair as I crossed back over (tricky and I probably failed at this shot ten times), shot most of the turrets, crossed back through the columns, finished off the white ship and then I got three bonus lines of ships. I messed that up probably five times but eventually figured it out, squeezed another five or six chains there and played a pretty conservative boss fight. I'll be showing my grandchildren the replay vid!

Are you done with the game now, or will you go for S++ / Chapter 2 next?

Thanks, now corrected.

Last night, I was prepared to uninstall it, honestly. I've given it a lot of thought and time these past two weeks, like, I can't remember the last thing which dominated my thoughts so much. I don't find it in the slightest relaxing, it's absolutely exhausting, but I can't deny that feeling of incremental progress and feeling your skills get tighter and cleaner. It's fantastic at the time. I don't know, basically! Without being too dramatic, I just need a little break from it, I think.

Having rewatched the replay this morning, I also realised just how close I was to messing it all up at the very end, and how much better I've done that last section on other runs. In fact, my description to you last night wasn't even true! I was describing a previous run. Shows how fried my brain was. I only got one bonus row after the rotating big ships, so there's probably another five or six chains there I could have had. That'll do me for a few days, though. Time for a little break.

I just went back in, got 3.1m, still S Rank, and with the exact same 95 chain, even though I did it faster. I missed probably three chains at the very end in the bonus waves because I was too cautious. I'll have to learn that section to squeeze a few more out of it.

It also consolidates my belief that S+/S++ would really require a more ambitious approach to those columns. I think probably twice I've managed to jink all the way up the first column then missile the rest before the big ship touches down. I'd need to do that, I think, and then something different again for the in and out column. I remember seeing some guys shooting between them carefully and then blamm blamm blamm to finish the rest so maybe that's next on my list. Up to #74 global. I should probably never have got into this game.